Vajpayee slams double standards in dealing with terrorism

Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee has come down heavily on the double standards adopted by some countries to deal with terrorism.

Without referring to any country by name, Vajpayee told German parliamentarians at a meeting in Berlin on Wednesday that India has suffered both from terrorism and the consequences of the double standards applied by countries to deal with it.

He said countries should not negotiate with terrorism or differentiate between its various constituent elements.

Vajpayee urged India's 'friends and partners' to bring their influence on Pakistan to end cross-border terrorism and dismantle the infrastructure of support to it.

"But, even while we continue to deal with our specific problem of cross-border terrorism, I have extended a hand of friendship to Pakistan in the hope that it may initiate a process leading to peace, friendship and cooperation between our two countries," he said.

Vajpayee said history has shown time and again that democratic societies were those that seek peace, protect freedoms, permit dissent and value consensus.

"These are precisely the attributes which make such societies the main targets of international terrorism.  September 11 and its aftermath taught us two principal lessons. One is that the global reach of terrorism requires a global and comprehensive effort to counter it.

"The second is that we cannot, and should not, negotiate with terrorism or differentiate between its various constituent elements. As partners in the international coalition against terrorism, India and Germany should recognise that our success against terrorism will depend on how well we have learnt this lesson," he said.

Apparently referring to the recent Iraq war, Vajpayee said recent global developments have yet again emphasised the importance of evolving a cooperative multi-polar world order.

"We are happy that the United Nations Security Council has reached the unanimous agreement on the manner of moving forward in Iraq, with an important role for UN and its organisations. I believe that the recent events have again underlined that the United Nations and its organisations need to be made more reflective of modern political realities. Both India and Germany have definite views on this and legitimate interests," he said.